The War Boy Returns
by Doctor-Honesty
Summary: Nux makes it out of the wreckage and stumbles back to the Citadel.
1. Chapter 1

The weeks following the death of Immortan Joe were the strangest days that most in the citadel had ever experienced. It wasn't long before management needed to step in- the people could not be left to do as they pleased. Imperator Furiosa took up the task of organizing the people, along with the help of the Wives. It wasn't easy.

Joe had ruled the citadel with a mixture of drugs, religious fervor, militaristic dictatorship, and of course – a monopoly on food and water. The war boys that had been left behind when he stormed out to capture his wives had never known anything other than his rule. Valhalla occupied their minds, and Immortan was the key to getting them there. Only now, he was gone.

The wretched thought for a short period of time that the water would run free forever, and the milk mothers up top even made an attempt at ensuring that it would. Unfortunately, it became blatantly clear that one of the many reasons Joe rationed it so securely was because it had a habit of running low. Too much pouring out on the people meant that the plants didn't get their share before the reservoir had a chance to fill up again- leading to wilted plants and less food.

It was around this time, with Furiosa and the wives working hard at figuring out how to provide better water rationing while preserving the stores, all while trying to keep the war boys in check, that he came stumbling in.

The wretched hardly even stared as he limped through their thronging masses towards the giant lift. On foot, exhausted, malnourished and parched with thirst, it was astonishing that he had been able to make it this far. It was likely more muscle memory than anything else at this point. If you didn't die, what did you do? You went home. He'd thought he was dead. He was sure of it even. He even lay there in the wreckage of the truck extra long, just to make sure the Gods hadn't made a mistake. Eventually, he realized that even if they were running late in collecting him, he had lost any chance at dying historic. When it got to the point that it would have been more along the lines of dying pathetic, he dragged his arse out of the wreckage and started walking.

A familiar woman was standing on the lift, arguing with someone. Through the haze of heat and delirium of exhaustion, it took a while for their chatter to start to make sense. He slowly limped forward. One foot, other foot, one foot, other foot,

"Why not just come up?"

"Im not lookin' for that."

"Looking for what? Look, we have food, we have water. We have space for you. You've earned it."

"Didn't earn anthin'. Im not comin."

"Max. We could really use you up here. Its not been easy. The war boys"

"Yeah, look… huh."

The man had turned and looked over. Max? Max… so he had lived. They were nearly in focus now, but swimming a bit in his vision. The woman looked over. Imperator Furiosa. He was surprised for a moment that he hadn't recognized her at first. The arm was hard to miss. They were both staring at him now, eyes wide and eyebrows up. Like they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Furiosa took a step towards him, and he stopped his limping shuffle. He wondered for a moment, if she was the new Immortan. Or would she call herself that? She killed his God, did that make her God? Fuzzy thoughts swum through his mind and he wavered and fell to his knees. She was right in front of him now. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Max take his chance to disappear back into the throng of the Wretched while he had the chance.

Blood bag sure was a strange one.

He was snapped back by a hand on his shoulder and Furiosas' voice. "Nux? How did you make it back? We were certain you had died."

His lips were so dry he had to lick them several times before he spoke, and still his voice rasped. He coughed and gazed up at her drunkenly, blearily. Only one thing came to mind to say.

"I guess it was my manifest destiny not to."

His lip cracked and dribbled blood down his chin as he smiled manically.

After that, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

"How did he make it back here? how did he survive?"

"I dont know. Its amazing. He was so close to the end of his half life to begin with... and then that crash, the war rig was completely totalled."

"I know, I remember. He should have been in a million burning pieces."

"And then the time! its been over three weeks since we left. And he walked into town, the Wretched are saying. Do you suppose he walked all the way back?"

"impossible. Without food or water, and with his leg as bad as it is? impossible. We'll have to wait and see if he wakes up. Wait and see if he remembers."

The voices were there, floating around his head like a thousand buzzing flies. He couldnt tell who was talking, and it was difficult to figure out what the words meant. Explosion made sense. He remembered that. How had he made it out? he knew he shouldnt have. He knew, remembered, looking into Capables eyes when it became apparent that he wasnt going to 'follow along after them' that he had felt... relief... of a sort.

It was going to end. It would be over. He hadnt tried to fight, tried to live. So how had he? his mind shied away from the details of his trek back home. He remembered thinking: anything. Anything to avoid dying Pathetic on the ground. Anything to keep the dignity. The chance to live another day, so that he could Die Well and Proper. He may have been ready for death, looking into her eyes in that moment, may have craved it- but he wouldn't settle for a death that would leave him to the Void. Locked away from Valhalla's gates forever.

He was pretty sure... fairly certain... he may have eaten human flesh. Charred. Rictus? his mind shied away from the idea again and he let the darkness over take him. Maybe he would just tell them, if he woke up, when he woke up- maybe he would tell them that he didnt remember.

In the end, it took almost two weeks before Nux was up and about. He had suffered burns over most of the lower half of his body and up the left side of his torso, and it was looking like the limp in his left leg was likely to be permanent, cause by a large chunk of shrapnel that had lodged itself in his knee so thoroughly that even with proper rest (which he hadnt had) and proper treatment (weeks later than he should have received) the appendage was fairly trashed.

The rad sickness should have eclipsed him in his weakened state- Larry and Barry had massive opportunity to chew straight through his windpipe and infection after infection had ample time to set into his burns and wounds. But somehow, he made it through.

War boys still gathered every morning in their hall for a rough breakfast before heading to work. Only now, instead of Immortan Joe standing upon the pedastel to give out the orders of the day, Furiosa stood. Beside her, Capable and Toast the Knowing. Nux stared up at them from an off-to-the-side doorway. This was his first day out of the infirmary, nearly healed and pumped full of fresh blood from the strangest source he'd ever received it from- an actual bag. Capable had been the one there to help him get it, and had said it was from a willing donor. Her arms were covered with long sleeves despite the warmth of the day. Nux didnt question it, but smiled and felt warmth in his heart.

Furiosa banged on a table, silencing the hall.

"Alright boys. Todays the day. We've had a chance or oragnize a bit, and know its all pretty rough at the moment, but thats how it is. Scavengers have likely taken chunks out of the war party wreckage, but its still up to us to gather up as much as possible. Thats our shit, and we should take it!"

A roar went up, war boys whooping and hollering. Calls could be heard accross the room "Yeah! our shit!", "Fuck em up!", and the ever present "We Are War Boys!". Nux couldnt help but grin from his place in the door. Looked like even with the death of the Immortan, the war boys didnnt change. It felt comforting to know that even though his live was completely turned on its ass, some things would always stay constant.

Furiosa let the carry on for a few moments before stomping to get their attention. Nux noted that if this had been before, had been Joe, they would have silenced immediately. As it was it took them a few solid seconds to settle down again, but the air in the hall was one of anticipation. So it wasnt all bad. He could see the serious look in Furiosas eyes though, knew she was calculating. She was a smart one, a natural leader. She knew these boys needed normalcy, needed structure. Hunting down the war party remains? that was a smart idea. Let the boys see where their leader fell, and pick apart the skeletons of the war beasts that they had built. Shred the old life, recover the useful bits, come home and build something new.

He nearly bolted out of the room at her next pronouncement.

"Theres someone I would like you to see! NUX! come out. War Boys! your hero of the rig! holler for him! he saved us all!" His eyes were wide when they met hers. They hadnt discussed this at all. He could see a twinkle, a shine- she was up to something. It felt a little... exciting.

The last time he had the eyes of the war boys on him, it was on the road and they were screaming at him, calling him a traitor. Apparently these boys hadnt been told that version of the story. They screamed even louder than they had for Furiosa, hooping and hollering and banging on the tables, stamping the ground. He did all he could to not limp to heavily as he jogged his way up the stage to the podium where the Imperator was gesturing. Capable was grinning from ear to ear at her side and when he got to them, she subtley placed a steadying hand on his back and guided him to face the boys. Toast came beside him and grabbed his right arm, throwing his fist into the air in a motion of victory.

He was so fucking confused.

If it had been impossibly loud before, it was deafening now. All the boys, and behind them at the back of the hall, all of the pups were losing it over him. His heart seemed like it was going to thud through his chest as he stared out.

He felt- its was more than he could have imagined. It was what he had always wanted. The recognition that Joe had promised him. Like he was already in Valhalla, Awaited, Precious. That his crew was below him, Praising. Praising HIM! of all things. It was overwhelming. He looked to Furiosa desperately, arm still raised.

She had an eyebrow raised, like she had expected a little more enthusiasm out of him. With a small had gensture, she indicated that he should drop his arm. As he did, she turned back to the hall and shouted,

"Your War Boy hero! Nux!"

A chant began almost as if rehearsed. "Nux, nux, nux, nux!" they all shouted. Over the din, Capable took a step forward and called out to the throng,

"On this day your Imperator Furiosa will take a party out to recover the remains of the fallen! On this day, Nux is returned to you! On this day, the hero you have been waiting for is here as your new leader! until Furiosa returns, he is who you shall look to. Nux! Nux!"

His was very likely on the floor.

Furiosa leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I was trying to get Max up here to take control of them, and then you came out of death and made your way back. You know them, Nux. And I know that you are trustworthy. They need you, and I need them. Just go with it. You'll be fine."

Leaning forward on his good leg, he raised both fists in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs. A primal roar from the depths of his chest.

The War Boys screamed back.

A new day began.


	3. Chapter 3

Furiosa was swift and efficient. She'd been working with and around the war boys for most of her life, and she knew that if you got them going, you had to use them; and if you didn't get them going often enough, they'd self destruct. The loss of Joe weighed heavily on all of them and it was only through sheer force of will and smart thinking that she was managing to keep them in check.

This was a culture, practically a race of men who had very set and defined rules and beliefs, all centered around two things: death and Joe. With one gone, the other became mired in confusion. Was there still a pathway to Valhalla? would they ascend, Shiny and Chrome? their figurehead was gone, but they weren't. They were still half-lives, rad poisoned boys who'd never make it to men. Was there still meaning in glorious sacrifice?

None of these fears were being voiced though. It was more of a feeling, a charged energy that ran throughout the citadel like the feeling that lingered in the air after a thunderstorm.

Furiosa and her contingent of war boys had been gone from the citadel for almost a week on their scavenging mission. Every few days a giant trailer of busted up vehicles and bodies of the perished wheeled in, unloaded, and wheeled back out again. Nux sat on the battlements, overlooking the milling throng of the Wretched. The sun was harsh, more burning than warming, but he relished the moments he got to sit out in it. It seemed like it was the only thing that could warm him nowadays, and even then his body still shivered against his will every now and again. The night sweats were rough on him. Freezing cold but leaking water out of every pore. He dangled his legs over the edge of the ledge, closed his eyes. Wondered how much more time he had.

"Hey you." A sweet voice called from behind him. He smiled a genuine smile but didnt rise. She never expected him to. Instead, he felt her settle down beside him, legs crossed and smelling like heaven. Women. So far away from War Boys. They sounded like bells, smelled like glory and brought out a side in him he never thought he had. Tenderness.

He opened his eyes and gazed at her like she was the dearest thing in the world.

"Heya Cape. Thought you were up at the gardens today helping Dag tend to the new seedlings."

She shrugged idly and pulled her light white cotton hood over her head in an attempt to shield her pale skin from the harsh sun. Her eyes were squinted against the blinding light. Still, she came out often into the harsh world and worked hard every day to improve the lives of the people in the Citadel. He admired her for that. She had Valhalla and she gave it up for the benefit of others. For freedom.

"I was going to head up there later on. I wanted to spend time with you. My War Boy." Her smile was all gentleness and he couldnt help but reach out to wrap an arm around her, pulling her close. She was so soft.

They sat in silence for a long time, enjoying each other. He couldnt even comprehend his luck in having her for a friend. Never in his life had he ever considered that he would prefer sitting out, lounging in the sunshine with a woman over flying down the Fury Road in his Deuce Coop, spreading valor and death in the name of his God.

He placed a kiss to the top of her head, and kept his face there, nestled in the mass of clean auburn curls. She sighed in contentment.

"I cant even believe it, Nux." She said, "All I ever wanted was to get out of here, you know? and now I cant imagine ever leaving. Its strange how things can change so fast. But Im glad everything is going the way that it is, even though it isnt easy. We've been given a chance to really begin again. To do more than suffer, more than survive. And you. I really thought we'd lost you out there. But here you are, and I'm so happy for it. I hope we get to keep you for a long time, yet."

Her hand squeezed his right knee, and her voice sounded sad. She was under no illusions about him. He was inches away from death at the beginning of all the madness. Now that they were out the other side, there was no telling when he was going to go. Still. Sitting here, warm, with Capable in his arms, he thought: strange, but I wouldn't mind dying like this.

It was so very opposite to how he had felt even a few weeks ago. How he had felt his entire life.

"It's okay, Cape. You've given me more than I ever knew I wanted, y'know. I dont have any regrets. An' until I go, Ill do my best for you 'round here. Ill get the Boys on the track you wann'em to be. So they can take care of evry'thin for you when Im gone. Plus, they're pretty terrified of you women at the moment, so Im sure you'll have a fine time straightenin' them out." He grinned, "They've never seen nuthin' so shiny and chrome as you lot. Never even heard of 'hope' or 'survival' before. Gotta show em the glory they can get from livin'. You showed me. I'll show 'em."

He felt a cough rattling its way through his chest and suppressed it as best he could, not wanting to ruin the moment or worry her. She must have felt him shake a bit though, as her hand on his leg started to stroke back and forth gently, soothing.

"I never thought I'd ever have a man for a friend, you know. Thought you all were useless, shlanger chugging pigs." She chuckled and he teasingly tugged at her hair. "But," she said softly, "You proved me right wrong. I know I'll never let a man do to me what Joe did. Not ever. But its good to know you're not all bad stuff. It's good to know I can trust you. Its... thanks, you know? thank you, Nux. For being here."

He felt a prickling sensation in his eyes but couldn't figure out what it meant. The squeezing feeling in his chest was unlike anything his illness had ever caused. He wrapped his arms around her there and hugged her tightly, unsure of what to say- or if there was anything to say. Her words were ridiculous. He had helped her? impossible. She had helped him so much. Free'd him so completely. The idea that just by being there, by being him, that he had had some positive effect on her seemed unimaginable. But it felt good. And good wasn't a feeling he was used to yet. He liked it.

"S'long as I'm around, Capable, I'll do whatever you want. Whatever you need."

"Just keep being you. Keep being my friend."

"Always."

Like that was ever in question.


	4. Chapter 4

"'Ey you lil shits! get outta here!" a wrench clanged loudly off of a steel ventilation pipe, narrowly missing the head of a pup as he fled out of the room as fast as his clay covered legs could take him. Three or four other war pups, not much older than five or six, giggled as they fled at top speed to avoid getting whacked.

Nux stepped out of the way to let them fly by, bending over to pick up the wrench as he continued in. The pups were in great spirits nowadays, and Nux had a feeling the women had been spoiling them somehow. War Boys filled the room in front of him, repairing cars and working on projects to improve the irrigation system of the Citadel, as per Furiosa's orders. The goal was some sort of water distribution system, to manage the underground reservoir without draining it while still supplying a small, yet steady water supply to as many people as possible on a more regular basis. It was supposed to replace Joes' system of dumping water from the heavens. Something about efficiency. He wasnt sure he understood it, but that hardly seemed to matter.

As he entered the room. several War Boys threw up a shout and a hollar to announce him. He raised his arms above him in the V8 salute and grinned. The women didnt like the salute much, said it encouraged the wrong kind of thinking. But he knew himself and he knew the Boys. They were a stubborn lot set in their ways and the slower the transition the better.

The Boy who had thrown the wrench reached up a hand and snagged it away from Nux, going back to whanging it roughly against a stuck hinge from a battered up rig piece. He was a heavily muscled man with a neck that was more tumor than anything else. The growths eclipsed his shoulder entirely, making it almost look like he had a shrunken, wonky extra head. The left arm hadnt had the right amount of blood supply in years, the tumor sucking it all up like a greedy hound, and was left smaller and slightly shriveled looking.

"Whats the feelin' down here, Brax?" Nux asked, heaving himself ontop of a pile of unsorted junked out materials. Brax ran the 'recovery' center of the repair room, and always had his ear tight to the ground. He grunted and grumbled, ignoring Nux for a few moments as he smashed away at the hinge. When it finally snapped and the two pieces fell to the ground, he flopped down on the ground and looked up.

"S'as good as you'd expec, Boss. Shit's fuckin' messed these days, but wit everyone keepin everyone else busy, its functionin. Like swappin' the engine outta your favourite car, y'know? looks like its always looked, but how does it drive? how does it feel? shits different."

Nux nodded and looked out over the large warehouse, idly rubbing his bad leg.

"Could be worse right?" he said.

"Oh yeah. Everything could be on fire. That would fuckin suck. Can you picture it? whoosh. Burnin bodies freakin out all over the place, fallin out the gates, tumblin and screamin an..."

Nux tuned him out and nestled into the junked heap of machinery, settling in to watch the Boys work for a few hours. He knew they liked seeing him, having his presence nearby. No one ever gathered up to really confront him on anything, but he knew if he sat there long enough a few Boys would find reasons to pass him by, maybe ask him questions like it was casual conversation, maybe tussle with him a bit.

It was nice. It was like their way of healing. And he liked being there to help.


	5. Chapter 5

He must have drifted off, because the last thing he remembered he was watching Brax digging through a pile of broken crap seeking out salvageable bits and pieces, and the next thing he saw was the mans ugly mug up in his face and being poked in the chest.

"Ey boss, tha's the supper bell dingin' that is. Everyone's clearin outta here. Was gonna leave ya to yer nappin', but figured you'd sass me next time you came down here if you were to wake up an' miss out on yer new fancy eats. "

Nux blinked a few times, blearily, and licked his lips. They were parched. He hadnt had anything to drink in hours, and who knows how long he'd been sleeping for? for anyone who wasnt warboy born and bred, it would have been impossible to conk out in the warehouse. The noises were both loud and abundant. People shouting and throwing things, machinery blaring- primarily cutting through or shaping some sort of metal. Engines roared and sputtered and choked, and since the room was majorly enclosed everything bounced off the walls, lending a strange sort of echo effect to every noise made.

He'd been catching naps under scrap piles and on cars waiting to be worked on for years now. He nodded at Brax, who took that as his cue and shuffled off. The warehouse was never totally silent, there were always a few boys who couldn't sleep, or rarely slept, and spent most of the night tinkering on their own personal projects. Nux himself had a habit of making bobble heads out of scrap for himself and the other boys when the night fevers left him bleary and sleepless.

"Yeah, thanks Brax. See ya."

What was that he'd said? fancy eats? Nux was surprised. He usually still ate in the common hall with the boys, but it must have gotten out that he had a standing invitation to eat at mealtimes in the Upper Quarter with the women. It was hard to not refer to them as the wives anymore, but they were no longer wedded to any man, so the term was no longer appropriate.

His body ached as he stood and attempted to stretch, popping joints and flexing muscles. Judging by the fact that the room was lit almost solely by gas lanterns at this point, he must already be late for meal time. These days his body didnt really feel much hunger, it seemed to have gotten to the point where it preferred to feast on itself. But he had promised Capable that he'd try to live as long as possible, be useful for as much time as he could, so he began to shuffle his way out of the warehouse. As he wandered through the maze of cars and scrap, the few remaining boys that he passed lifted their heads. Some nodded, others gave halfhearted waves. It was still a new concept to him, being singled out, recognized, looked up to. It felt warm in his chest, in his heart. Compensation for the lack of glorious sacrifice.

It was unbelievably easy to get lost in the Citadel. A little under half of the tunnels were fully man made- the rest of them were partial natural formations and holes that had been warped and modified to suit the purposes of the builders. Some halls lead nowhere, likely due to the diggers finding some fort of mining resource while tunnelling and following it until it was fully excavated. Simply put: if you hadnt walked it before, you likely had no idea where you were going. It was likely why the pups tended to wander in herds- that and it was safer. There was little worse than bumping into the wrong Kami Crazy war boy when you were on your own and didnt know where you were. In groups the boys always worked together like one crazy, Guzzoline fueled leviathan, but you get the wrong one alone at the wrong time and they could be equally monsterous. They did, after all, make a living out of death and adrenaline fueled fury.

But Nux had had the place memorized many many years ago. He had always been inquisitive, light on his feet, and most importantly: fast as a V8 engine in top gear. Any time he took the wrong turn or bumped into the wrong person, you'd be sure that he was out of there faster than they could even tell what passed 'em. A little white clay coated bird flitting through the corridors. He smirked a little at the memory, but it hurt too. He was walking now, almost as fast as he used to, but not with as much of a spring in his step. His left leg throbbed every time it made contact with the ground, and he was just too damn tired to hide the limp.

By the time he reached the common hall, dinner was fully in session. Boys and Pups were laughing, chatting, challenging each other to various duels- it was the same old stuff that Nux had been used to his entire life, only now there was a bit of a hush to the crowd. People not sounding quite so sure of themselves. The tension bled through everyone, who tried to ignore it. Like a war hound on a leash, there was an air of pacing to the room- like even if you werent scratching a hole into the stone walking back and forth, you felt like you might start at any moment.

He'd have to talk to Furiosa when she finally returned for good from the War Caravan crash sites. They needed to organized something- a raid, a fight, a tournament of some kind- anything to get the boys adrenaline drained and work them down until they couldnt fight any more. Exhausted War Boys were much easier to handle than pent up ones.

He grabben a plate of grub and settled in at a random table, the nearest one with space for him. A few unknown hands slapped him on the back as he sat and a couple of "Ey, there Boss!"s were exclaimed. Yeah, still weird.

"So you piss off the red head, there, Nuts? eh? she kick you down to mingle with the lesser crowd here? failed to make her cum screamin'? must be losin' your touch, mate." A voice from behind him. Someone he didnt know. Rage boiled in his chest and Nux stood up, staring down at the bastard who dare insinuate he'd ever touched Capable in that way.

"Ooooh, that touch a nerve, eh, Nutsy? maybe she decided she preferred cunt over cock after all? or perhaps you just werent man enough for her?" the War Boy was older- surprisingly. They never tended to live very long anyways, but this guy had to be close to thirty. That meant that he likely worked in the Warehouse or Hanger, and wasnt a Driver, Pole cat or Lancer. He had extensive scarification over his entire body, face included. Looked like... some sort of blueprint painstakingly copied out onto his skin. It wasnt cuts either, he'd had them burned on, likely with a soldering iron. He stood about four inches shorter than Nux and had painted his body so that the scars stood out white, but his unscarred flesh was lightly charcoaled. Nux supposed the Boy intended for it to look intimidating. In reality, it seemed to come off a bit ridiculous.

"You dont know anything!" he growled using his height to his advantage and looming over the unnamed accuser. "And how dare you? Shes never done anything wrong, not once in her shiny chrome life. And I didnt do nothin' to get up there but what was right and expected of me. "

They'd gotten the attention of a fair number of Boys, who began to encircle the two. Scarification Boy glanced around and grinned, revealing more modifications- teeth with holes drilled through them, teeth sharpened to points. This Boy had way too much time on his hands, Nux thought. And what was he trying to prove?

"Whatcha gonna do about it Nux? you've gone all soft, drowning in breasts and cunt. Whats that they keep preaching? no unnecessary harm? I could pull out my cock and piss on you and I bet youd just go cryin; back to your womenfolk, you giant pussbucket." The crowd seemed mostly neutral, but a quick survey showed that a few of them were sympathetic to what was being accused. They looked to Nux expectantly, and he suddenly knew what this was about- where was his place within the War Boys now? was he one of them? above them? below them? was he someone to be looked up to or looked down at? the new government told them all that he was a hero and that his orders should be followed. But what had he done except wander the Citadel and talk with people. Nothing. He wasn't Shiny. He wasn't Chrome. Or he was, and they just hadn't seen it yet.

"Ill show you a pussbucket you shlanger guzzling V2 piece of shite. I walk, you follow. I stand, you stand! I will lead you all and YOU. WILL. OBEY!" Nux snarled and finished his cry with a solid head butt that left the other boy reeling. Surprisingly, his blood began to sing in his veins and excitement ran through him like a lightening bold. Scars stumbled back and then lunged for him, and Nux dodged carefully to the right to avoid his bad knee and slammed his fist forward with all his might into his opponents left ear.

Scars dropped to the ground, but threw out a leg and successfully knocked Nux down as well. The crowd gathered around them had begun to cheer, this being the first action theyd seen in weeks. Some called out his name, but some called out another- Rasikov? That must be Scar boys name. His tailbone throbbed and before he could rise Rasikov was on top of him, slamming a ham like fist into his face. He saw stars and tasted blood.

Nux thrusted his hips up as hard as he could, setting his opponent off balance and throwing him forward. Knowing that he could not get the man off of him- too heavy, and his left leg was shit for leverage, and knowing that he was at a strength disadvantage as well, Nux let himself be taken away by the waves of joyous, merderous adrenaline and clamped his teeth down hard on Rasikov's neck.

Blood flowed into his mouth as he clamped down as hard as he could and the other boy started screaming, punching at him and trying to back off. Nux wrapped his arms around the boys waist and took every punch like it was nothing, tearing and biting with his teeth. He could hardly breath, there was blood running into his nose. The boys were hollering and jumping all around them, screaming their approval. Rasikov was, well, just screaming.

Finally a fist to the head loosened his hold and Rasikov stumbled to his feet, gripping at his neck with both hands. Nux shook his head and rose to stand above the man, spitting his own blood back at him. It landed on his face, a grotesque splatter of life fluid.

Nux lunged forward as if to attack again and Rasikov scuttled away, eyes wide. He must have cut an impressive figure, he assumed, blood staining his mouth and neck.

"Anyone who stands against my glory and the glorious chrome of our new establishment will have worse to look forward to!" he yelled out. The crowd was impressed. A few of Rasikovs friends helped him to his feet and dragged him off in the direction of the flesh infirmary. War Boys swarmed forward to pat Nux on the shoulder and grin at him, swearing fealty and assuring him- and themselves, surely- that they would follow.

Nux had a sinking feeling, as his heart rate began to return to normal, that the Women were not going to be impressed with this new development.


End file.
